Wil Lutz

Kicker • Saints

Boom

The Ravens signed Lutz as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2016 but released him prior to the regular season. New Orleans signed him on September 5, 2016, and six days later he was kicking in his first regular-season NFL game. He has held down the job in New Orleans for the last two seasons. In his short NFL career, he has connected on 59 of 70 (84.3 percent) FG attempts and has made 96 of 100 extra points. He finished sixth in scoring in 2016, and he was seventh in scoring in 2017. He is seven of 12 from 50 yards or beyond, with a career-long kick of 57 yards. Lutz has made 13 of his 16 attempts from 40 to 49 yards.

Bust

Prior to Lutzís arrival, head coach Sean Payton had demonstrated a general disdain for placekickers. A sideways glance (off the crossbar) was about all it took for Payton to issue an exit visa. The Saints used 10 different FG kickers in the eight seasons prior to Lutzís arrival. In fact, itís rather remarkable Lutz made it past his first game as a Saint, when he whiffed on two of his four FG attempts.

Bottom Line

Aside from Paytonís quick trigger finger, there would seem to be little downside with Lutz. The Saints tend to score significantly more touchdowns than field goals, but one point is better than none. Lutz is a good, young kicker on a team that is consistently productive on offense.